Therapeutic Treatment of Children
Our mission at BRACAC is to provide specialized cutting edge, evidence-based treatment services for the treatment of psychological trauma to each child we serve. We strive to work collaboratively with other child-serving agencies in our community ensuring effective continuity of care. Through our partnership with the University of Kentucky Child and Adolescent Trauma Treatment and Training Institute (CATTTI) we are able to provide comprehensive trauma assessments and access training on new treatment approaches that are recognized by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN).
The therapists on our treatment team provide advocacy for children through testimony in court, participation in Interested Party Reviews, engagement of the child’s care system (DCBS, schools, families, foster families, lawyers, and law enforcement), community education, and participation in local advocacy organizations. We currently provide Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Trauma Affect Regulation: Guide to Education and Therapy. In the near future we will be adding Parent Child Interactional Therapy.
Trauma-Informed Interventions Available
Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
TF-CBT is a phase-based trauma-focused intervention appropriate for youth ages 3-18 who are experiencing traumatic-stress related symptoms. TF-CBT uses gradual exposure to distressing thoughts and feelings connected to traumatic events and focuses on building coping skills to manage stressful emotional content, decrease avoidance, address negative alterations in cognition and mood, and reduce levels of arousal and reactivity. The intervention also facilitates the processing of traumatic and negative life events and any related cognitions and emotions. Caregivers are considered an important part of treatment and are included in sessions so that they can help youth to practice acquired skills at home, develop trauma-informed parenting skills, and support the emotional well-being of their child. TF-CBT is supported by a robust empirical base that has demonstrated its ability to decrease traumatic-stress related symptoms in trauma-exposed youth. TF-CBT uses the PRACTICE acronym to outline the components of treatment:
Psychoeducation and Parenting Skills
Relaxation
Affect expression and modulation
Cognitive coping and processing I and II
Trauma Narrative
In Vivo mastery of trauma reminders
Conjoint caregiver-child sessions
Enhancing safety and future development
Trauma Affect Regulation: Guide for Education and Therapy (TARGET)
TARGET is a phase-based trauma-focused treatment for school-aged youth and families that can be delivered in an individual, family, or group format. TARGET was developed for youth who have experienced complex trauma and is particularly appropriate for youth who struggle with daily stressors and affect regulation. TARGET provides a 7-step sequence of skills—the FREEDOM steps—that are designed to help youth understand and gain greater control of trauma- and stress-related reactions that may be triggered by daily life stressors. The FREEDOM steps were developed around the following components:
Focus
Recognize triggers
Emotion self-check
Evaluate thoughts
Define goals
Options
Make a contribution
Therapeutic Treatment of Adults
We are passionate about treating psychological trauma experienced by children. Our treatment team also values preventative efforts to ensure less children experience trauma. Through a collaborative partnership with Western Kentucky University’s social work and psychological sciences departments and The Center for Child Welfare and Research (CCWEAR), we are able to provide evidence-based group trauma treatment for non-offending caregivers who have experienced their own trauma. This unique project seeks to address the broad effects of trauma on an adult’s ability to provide consistency and stability, identify their child’s needs, awareness of safety and “red flag” behaviors from others, and ability to appropriately trust others.
Interns
Our therapy program works closely with Western Kentucky University’s social work program to provide relevant and timely field experience to bachelor- and master-level social work students. This program allows for exposure to empirically supported, measurement-based treatment for trauma; field research; policy; and advocacy. Master-level students gain experience providing psychological treatment to clients under the supervision of our experienced clinicians.
